So a couple of weeks ago we posted a photo of our surprise ‘spur of the moment’ waste not project – our dried oranges! A friend of mine had mentioned the ‘lone grapefruit’ in her fruit bowl, which alerted me to a similar victim in mine! She had duly dried out hers ready for her Christmas wreath! I thought that was a brilliant idea, and she told me exactly how to do it! It really could not have been simpler! Very satisfying indeed!
Here is our VERY quick guide on how to dry your citrus fruits of all shapes and sizes, especially those lone ones that nobody seems to want to eat and are at risk of going to waste!
- Slice your fruit, be it orange, grapefruit, or lemon, into 1cm slices!
- Lay out on a baking tray or oven rack.
- Turn on the oven – low – between 80 & 100 degrees celsius seems right.
- ‘Bake’ for two or three hours, and then (the top tip from my friend) leave them in there with the oven off over night!
And there, hey presto, even if your husband turns the oven off mid process like mine did, you’ve got some dried out beauties to wake up to in the morning!
I’ve seen a few different versions of the above out there, but the basic principles appear to be the same! Below are a few lovely ideas on how to use them! We will be hoping to incorporate ours in our door wreath, which I have also never made before! Watch this space!
Red Ted Art – we love this website, and here is their method and some beautiful ideas for Christmas decorations! https://www.redtedart.com/how-to-dry-orange-slice-orangenscheiben-trocknen/
National Trust – have some lovely ideas for how to use your Christmas oranges. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/how-to-make-scented-orange-slice-tree-decorations
Dried Orange Christmas Garland from Saga – https://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/home-garden/craft-hobbies/crafting/make-a-dried-orange-christmas-garland
